The Congress(I) is geared up to face the elections, and ``we are prepared to fight on our own or in alliance with like-minded parties, as the situation would demand,'' he said. The Congress does not have a closed mind on possible alliances, he said at a media conference. He, however, added that neither the Congress nor the electorate are interested in the next round of elections.

``We do not want to be a destabilising factor,'' he said. However, in the event of the BJP-led Government collapsing due to its internal contradictions, and if the President invited the Congress to form a Government, ``we will make an attempt to provide a viable alternative,'' he added. In forming a Government, the Congress will accept thesupport of Left-of-Centre parties, and parties which embraced secularism as an ideology.

The AICC leader declined to name the parties, but said some of the allies of the BJP were in touch with the Congress through informal channels, sending out feelers for an alliance, in the event of the Vajpayee Government getting thrown out of power.

``Let them first withdraw support,'' he said, while answering a question on any alliance the Congress may forge with parties who are now in the BJP coalition. If the AIADMK and Trinamool Congress have lost confidence in the Vajpayee Government's ability to deliver, they must first come out of the coalition, he insisted.

``I hope we will have no compulsion to choose between the devil and the deep sea,'' he said, while referring to possible a electoral alliance with either the DMK or the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. In his view, an understanding with the DMK can be ruled out, because the Jain Commission report on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination stood in the way. Corruption is alsoan issue that is likely to prevent the Congress joining hands with the AIADMK, he admitted.

On the political scenario in the North, Shastri urged the Samajwadi-RJD combine to realise that they, in fact, were weakening the cause of secularism by their anti-Congress rhetoric. All the political forces which claimed to be anti-BJP should support the Congress, because without the Congress playing a pivotal role, they cannot take on the BJP, he declared.

AICC decision to induct women hailed

CHENNAI, Dec 30: The Women's Working Forum (WWF) today lauded the Congress for enabling women to participate in the political life of the country on a larger scale by providing for 33 per cent reservation of party posts for women.

At a meeting in the city, the WWF handed over a message signed by 5,000 members of the forum commending the ``landmark move'' of the Congress party to AICC secretary Anil Shastri and AICC women's wing president Ambika Soni.

Shastri said if women united and fought for their rights usingtheir collective strength, they and their families can become prosperous, leaving behind the problems related to poverty. Calling the AICC decision historic, he said women will have greater role to play in public life in future. The new economic policies pursued since 1991 have affected the poor, women in particular, he added.

Ambika Soni, who called for 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislatures, said there was no need to fear ``where they will come from'' following such legislation. It is not fair to keep millions of women in poverty, she said, adding that though women cannot fight the goondas and money power, they would ensure fair governance because they believed in honesty and integrity.

TNCC president Tindivanam K Ramamurthy said with increasing participation of women in public life, the rigid caste structure can be dismantled over a period of time, resulting in emancipation of the poor and deprived.